Reliable Heating & Air, Plumbing and Electrical

Brent M.

I had an A/C go out and one vendor check it out. In the hopes of getting a second opinion, I called Reliable.

The technician was onsite on Wednesday (7/31) and called to tell me the refrigerant was out. I explained that I knew this and that there was clearly a leak and the other vendor had already tried to fix it and even replaced a valve, but clearly a leak still existed. He said he'd check it out and then we hung up.

Two days later, I get a call from the tenant and was told the A/C still wasn't working and the guy never fixed it.

I called Reliable again and asked what happened, why I hadn't heard back from the technician, and/or why it wasn't fixed.. The technician was called back out to the property where he was met by my wife.

The technician told my wife he didn't remember ever being at the property (only two days ago) but was assigned to it as a re-do. After talking with her for a few minutes, he then changed his story to say that he had talked to me on Wednesday afternoon and (at that time) told me I needed to talk to Sales about getting a new unit. First, he didn't remember being there and then he incorrectly recalled a conversation that never happened...odd.

We finally talked on the phone again and he told me the unit would probably cost $6,000 and take a week to install. Being this was a rental property, he recognized I might want to save money. He said there were used units on Craigslist that plenty of HVAC guys would be happy to install. He said he'd find me some names of people who would do the work for me, but, as expected, he never called back.

BTW, he also quoted $95/unit of refrigerant whereas the other vendor only charged $55.

In the end, I ordered an A/C unit from the original vendor.

Les F.

Title: It took multiple visits and almost 2 months to get my new Trane 12MBH mini split heat pump installed then fixed.

Short Version: Reliable employs very nice people but has significant issues with their estimate and installation service on the ductless Trane 12MBH mini split heat pump. The estimate was wrong even though I was very clear on what I wanted done. The installers were 2 hours late. The unit was installed incorrectly which caused major leak issues. It took almost two months and 7 appointments to get it fixed. They tried to sneak in an additional $225 charge on the invoice (I assume to recoup some of the loss on their mistakes). I would not recommend Reliable if you are looking for a hassle free experience or installation of a ductless mini split heat pump.

Complete Story: My experience with Reliable has been an exercise in patience. I hired them to install the Trane 12MBH mini split heat pump to be put in on Saturday May 11, 2013. The initial visit in April for the estimate went very well. I was very clear in my expectations and confident in the sales person and the product offered seemed to fit my needs. The problems began when the installers arrived 2 hours late for our appointment and it has been a saga since then. First, the installers informed me that my estimate did not cover any drywall work or paint to repair the wall once they tore it out for the new unit. This surprised me since I was emphatic with the salesman that I wanted an estimate for the entire job start to finish, including repair of the wall. I finally had to ask to speak to the owner of the company that morning. They never allowed me to speak with the owner but they said he decided it was the salesman's fault and allowed them to commence the install without increasing the total price (or so I was told). The guys who did the install were very nice and really worked hard to get the job done since they were late. Unfortunately, as I would find out later, they had little to no experience with installing that particular model and brand of heat pump.

I used the a/c unit all day Sunday but then at about 10pm that evening I stepped in a huge puddle of water on my way downstairs. Sure enough, the unit was pouring (not dripping) water down the wall and onto my hardwood flooring. I turned the unit off and called Reliable first thing Monday morning to send a tech out. The tech (who also had no experience with that particular make and model) assured me it was a humidity issue and that it should resolve itself. I was skeptical but turned the unit back on. Two days later the same thing happened. From May 13, 2013 to June 15, 2013 I had multiple visits from different technicians. The unit was not usable for longer than a few hours at a time during this entire ordeal. Eventually, I started asking the techs about replacing the unit. It was obvious no one knew what was wrong or how to fix it. At this point I got fed up and called again to reach the owner. This time I did not take no for an answer. The owner was very apologetic and assured me they would take care of it on the next visit. They ended up sending out the customer service manager. Also, a very nice guy. He visited my home 3 times over the next few weeks. It was during one of these visits I learned that the TRANE mini split was new to the market and that Reliable had little to no experience installing them. Finally, after a total of 7 visits to my home it was determined that the original installers had not located the unit correctly on the wall which was then causing drainage issues. They scheduled another appointment and moved the unit which I am relieved to report fixed the problem.

The last issue, the one that caused me to write this review, was when I got my bill on July 15th. They had slipped in an ambiguous charge of $225 to my bill without ever discussing it or explaining it. After all the time wasted and headaches they caused I am exasperated to say the least. I realize this additional charge was more than likely to make up for what the salesman lost on the drywall or to recoup some of the cost for the 7 additional visits to my home over the last 2 months but those issues were not my fault and I refuse to pay for their mistakes. After yet another contact with the office they agreed there was no justification for the charge and amended my bill to reflect the original estimate from April 20th. I requested the owner contact me regarding the matter the same day. Still no response 3 days later.

To say it has been an ordeal is an understatement. I've been patient and reserved throughout but others should know about this experience. I am quite disappointed that Reliable did not measure up to the good ratings I had viewed during my research. I hope this review helps others to make a more informed decision.

Katie A.

never ever EVER use Reliable Heating and Air. We have now been without air conditioning for a WEEK and their customer service has been atrocious! They have charged us an absurd amount for absolutely no service.

First, we scheduled a service call for and the technician did not show up until almost 10:00 pm. They did not have the part they needed, and were supposed to notify us when it came in, but did not - we had to call them 5 days later to find out it was already in stock.

I have now been waiting around for over 4 hours (taking my last day of PTO from work) and I am STILL waiting in a stuffy hot house. When we called to ask where the technician was we were blown off by the manager and basically told to suck it up. We are NOT paying this much money to suck it up. If you cannot perform the service you advertise you should NOT be in business. UNreliable is more like it.

Shelley G.

Problems all around.

The woman I made the appointment with scoffed at me when I asked if they could come out that day or the following one. Very rude. Customer service could use a big improvement. Of course I had to wait 4 days to get someone out. Of course he never called me to give me a heads up that he was 30 minutes away (as promised).

The repairman shows up and bangs on my BACK door. I was hesitant to open it because it was some guy in a dirty white t-shirt (NO UNIFORM). I only opened it because I saw the Reliable truck in the driveway.

After checking out the unit for a whole 30 seconds, he recommends that I spend $1,800 to replace the coil. Now, he can't tell me where the leak is because he ""left his equipment on a different job!"" He expected me to shell out $1,800 on the spot to replace a coil and didn't even know which one (there are two), but assumed it was the attic coil because ""that's normally where the leak is."" Then he told me I'd essentially be an idiot to just put freon into the unit, knowing it'll just fall out.

He was condescending, short and I certainly did not appreciate how he just walked in and out of the house like he owned it.

Never again will I be calling Reliable for my A/C needs.

Mark L.

I selected this vendor about three years ago to replace my entire HVAC system at my house.

They did an excellent job on the installation, and the new equipment works perfectly and has resulted in major reductions in my heating and air conditioning bills while at the same time giving me more comfortable temperatures in the house.

I also have a maintenance contract with them, and they come out every six months to inspect my equipment. The maintenance contract will give me a lifetime warranty on the equipment. So far there have been no issues with the equipment, and their service technicians always come on time and finish quickly. I have not had to pay anything other than the cost of the service visit.

I like the fact that they call and send emails while they are on the way and send a picture of the technician who will be coming. This allows me to better work their visit into my schedule.

Hannah G.

I called three company's. After reading the reviews we went with reliable heating and air. So glad we did. They did every thing they could to fix our unit when we expected the worse. They were so wonderful. Any one who has something bad to say must be a competitor. The customer service representative was very nice and the technicians were even nicer. They fixed a simple burnt wire. We were expecting hundreds of dollars in repairs or freon. They could have easily ripped us off! But they didn't! They have a customer for life. No worries with these guys! Great company!

Michael C.

Reliable Heating and Air was one of four companies that we asked for proposals on replacing a furnace and upgrading our AC units. From the first contact to set up an appointment with Chris in sales to the installation the team from Reliable was friendly and professional in their approach. Chris reviewed our needs and put together a proposal that addressed our budget requirements.

Rob and Fernando showed up at 9AM and worked diligently through the day to get the systems in place, including work to meet code on a furnace that we were not replacing. They were professional in their approach to the installation, took the time to answer any questions we had, and left the work area around the furnaces and AC units very clean. We are very pleased and would recommend Reliable Heating and Air.

Brad S.

Jorge and Alexis from Reliable recently installed a new air conditioner, furnace and zoning system in my house. I can definitely tell the difference in air flow and in the evenness of temperature.

The installation also looks much cleaner. Before, there were various wires hanging down from the duct-work and patchy insulation on some of the ducts. Now, all the ducts are sealed, and the wires are routed properly. You can tell that these guys take pride in their work.

Ross H.

My heater stopped blowing and I couldn't figure out why. I called Reliable and they came out a few hours later. Kevin, the technician, was extremely professional and worked quickly. He even explained everything he did while I observed.

Now my complaint. I can tolerate an $85 service fee for 10 minutes worth of work, BUT $189 for a $40 part is dishonest where I come from. I will never use this company again.

Blair H.

My problems with this company began when I called them out to fix my HVAC unit in my home. The system is about 13 years old and started making a strange squeaking noise. Not knowing what it was, we shut the system down until they could come out and fix it.

They came out the first time and the guy (who seemed totally clueless) took 45 minutes going up and down my stairs from the basement to the thermostat trying to diagnose the problem. He finally got his manager on the phone who mysteriously was able to pinpoint the problem (over the phone) and said it was the thermostat. Hmmm, strange, since that seemed to be working fine. Ok, well, I know nothing about HVAC systems, so I didn't argue. They said the part would be $189 to install. I said I would have to ask my husband. They said ok, well, call us once you talk to him because we need the go-ahead to order the part.

I called them later that day and said to go ahead and order the part. Reliable said they would call us when it came in to schedule the install. Two weeks went by and I didn't hear from them. I finally called them and the customer service person said ""you were supposed to call us once you spoke to your husband...."" (she was literally blaming me for THEIR mistake!). I told them I DID call them....at which point they scheduled the visit for the next day between 12 and 2 with a 30 minute heads-up call. The rest of the experience with them went like this.....

1. The next day, I hadn't heard from them by 1:30. I called and was told ""oh, they just got to the house before yours, it should be about an hour to an hour and a half"". What about my 12-2 window??? Was anyone going to call me and tell me they were running over an hour late??

2. I rescheduled the visit. I told them I needed a more precise window for them to arrive so the customer service rep scheduled me for the first visit of the day, assuring me they would be there before 9am.

3. They day they were supposed to arrive ""before 9am"" I received a call from the technician at 9:15, saying he was about 45 minutes away. WHAT!?! I called the dispatch line and was told ""well, ma'am, I don't know who said they would be there before 9, but our morning window is between 8 and 10. We have to allow for traffic in the city of Atlanta"". WHAT?! You said you would be there by 9, then BE THERE BY 9! Everyone in this city has to account for traffic!!!?? You plan around it!! I cancelled the visit right there and got a ton of attitude (at no point did any of the 4 people I spoke with during this entire process apologize for this nightmare).

The best part was that I called another company who came out two weeks later and told me that there was nothing wrong with the thermostat. It was a completely different issue alltogether. Now it is fixed and running great.....and I'm out $89 to Reliable.

There are a lot of HVAC companies in Atlanta.....do yourself a favor and hire a different one.